Our Interwined Fate
by Gleaming Hope
Summary: In Alice University, Natsume's a delinquent and Mikan's a happy-go-lucky girl with a terribly sad past. When they meet, will Natsume open up to her and will Mikan find comfort in him? MxN and a bit of OOC in Mikan. RXR
1. Reuniting With Hotaru and Meeting Them

Hi, the nickname's tsuyu-chan. I hope you enjoy this story. I'm intending to make it pretty long even though it's my first fanfic. I also hope that this story will meet your expectations. If you wan to know more about me, then visit my profile.

Note: I'm not intending to make Natsume look at Mikan's panties because in this story, Mikan's past is extremely sad. In addition, Mikan will be smarter but she will still be a happy-go-lucky girl. Natsume will still be the same. There might be a little OOC in Mikan but hopefully none in Natsume. A last note: alices do not exist in this story.

Disclaimer: I do **not** own the awesome anime and manga called Gakuen Alice but Higuchi Tachibana-sensei does.

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(Mikan's POV)

I gazed up at the sky and watched the clouds drift. My chocolate orbs stared at the sky with hope and then looked back at the university gates. My auburn hair swayed with the wind, flying and scattering itself on my body, making it messier. Nervousness welled up in me as I was standing in front of the gates of Alice University.

This was the place where a new beginning would start. This is the place that will replace all of the painful memories of the past. In this place, I wanted to start a fresh new page with a smile. I should always be optimistic and clear all the sadness with a smile. These are the words my late grandfather said. I have always admired him for his wisdom, and I looked up to him in all aspects. I sighed, remembering the great times I spent with him. Now, for the mean time, I have to focus on getting inside the university and doing all my best to achieve a successful future.

_Hotaru,_ I remembered. A smile formed on my lips as the thought of my stoic best friend ran through my mind. She was stoic, emotionless, and cold-hearted. Nevertheless, she never failed to stay by my side and cheer me up. She was there for me through times of tragedy and joy. Whenever I was sad, her mere presence was enough to make me happy. We've been through all kinds of experiences; sadness, joy, anger, worry, love, surprise, loneliness, hatred, fear, frustration, and guilt. I am even amazed at my ability to list all of these feelings.

Both of us knew the true character of the other and experienced it. It would be an understatement to say that we were best friends. The right word would be one soul. Each of our souls is half the other. Without each other, our souls we are incomplete. That is the everlasting relationship of me and Hotaru.

I proceeded to the grounds of the university and went directly to the administration office. I signed in and got all the information I needed in order to start my life in the university. I also got my schedule and was informed that my luggage would arrive in about two hours. I looked at the schedule and saw that I had my first lesson on Monday.

I was studying literature, so I was going to be busy most of the time. I also noticed that the number of my dorm room was 488 which I shared with a girl named Hyuuga Aoi. In my mind, I hoped that she and I would become good friends and avoid enmity. I sighed again, remembering that I was entering as a sophomore and that I would face many challenges in the field I am studying. But it was only Friday, which meant I could spend some time with Hotaru reconciling with her.

I walked out of the building and decided to search for Hotaru. As I wondered on the many possibilities of what my roommate would be like and how she would behave, I accidentally bumped into someone on the way. When I got up and apologized for my mistake, I realized that in front of me stood the most gorgeous human I had ever encountered in my life.

His hair was a raven color that was messy but in a handsome way. His eyes were stunning as they shone in the sunlight reflecting a crimson red. I stared at him for a while until I realized that he was glaring at me. I also recognized that there were three other boys behind him who were handsome as well, but their looks were inferior to his.

"Hey, stop staring at me you idiot," he said in a low and husky tone.

I didn't react or flinch when he called me an idiot because I was already used to the name. I was taught to obey and respect others and I was a person of little opinions. Therefore, I took no notice of the insult and replied, "I'm sorry; I was just daydreaming. I was also hurried because I had to find someone. By the way, could you please tell me what the time is?"

"Look above you, idiot," he said nonchalantly.

I looked up and saw a huge clock attached to the building, adorned with beautiful ornaments and jewels around it. It indicated that the time was one o'clock in the afternoon, twenty minutes after I had left the office. I wanted to find Hotaru as soon as possible because I missed her very much. I hastily thanked the boy and for some specific reason, his friends were gawking at me. And then, I saw something that made my heart skip and tears form in my eyes.

Right behind the crimson-eyed boy, I saw my best friend. After that, and only for this time, I let my emotions take control of me, and I ran to her. I ran and ran, afraid to lose her at any moment, while the boys behind me stared at me awkwardly. Her arms opened up, something she rarely used to do. I fell into her arms and sobbed. Although there was silence, and no words were exchanged, our feelings could be understood. I looked up at her and saw a little smile etched on her emotionless face. And then, she decided to speak up first.

"I missed you too but staying silent till the end of the year won't help, you know," her smile suddenly disappearing and returning back to its original expression.

"You don't know how much I missed you, Hotaru," I sobbed, "For a whole year, I had to bear your absence around me and suffer on my own. I had no one to cry to, no one to hear my cries of despair, no one to pull me out from my loneliness. That's why, this year I'm planning to restart my life and face it with a different perspective."

She looked back at me, happiness clearly shown in her clear amethyst eyes. Then she replied, "If so, stop crying Mikan and show the smile you always used to wear when we were young. And haven't I told you, the more you cry, the uglier you look."

After that, I blinked twice and revealed a big smile on my face. I cleared my tears, cleaned my face, and faced Hotaru with determined eyes. However, something happened that we had least expected. I started to look dizzy and felt myself falling deeper into darkness. The last thing I saw was Hotaru's concerned face and the boys behind us coming, rushing to our side. The last thought that escaped my head was 'Of all times why did it have to happen now?' and the rest of which I could not remember.

* * *

I woke up to find out that I was lying in a queen sized bed covered with luxurious purple sheets decorated with intricate designs. As I settled myself into a suitable situation, I found Hotaru leaning against the wall beside me and the boys from before watching me intently on the other side of the bed. I started to take a better look at the boys who with the crimson-eyed boy and observed them intently.

One of them was standing beside the raven-haired boy, with eyes as clear and blue as the ocean and his hair short and straight with beautiful shiny blond. He looked like a good guy but who knows, never judge a book by its cover.

Standing in front of him was a boy with straight, auburn hair and long strands of hair blocking his eyes, but they were still noticeable. However, one thing that turned my attention towards him was his smile. It looked quite creepy for it seemed to represent mischief and trickery; though I had a feeling that he was a good person at heart.

Lastly, my eyes lied upon the last person who was standing next to the auburn-haired lad. To be blunt, he was bald. Not a single hair was seen in his perfectly bald head. For some reason, I pitied him for hair was a sign of beauty. For now, that is all I could describe of his facial features. I don't know about his intentions due to the fact that his face bore no expression whatsoever. After I finished observing the boys before me, the silence was broken by the raven-haired boy.

"Oi, lost your voice or are you gawking at our beauty?" said the crimson-eyed boy, representing himself and his friends.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to being surrounded by people whom I don't know when I faint," I answered, looking down at my hands with earnest eyes.

"Mikan, didn't you say that you would start a fresh, new beginning? Then why don't you argue or protest against who insults you? If you want to be strong, then learn on how to fight for your own right. You can't just keep obeying and apologizing to everyone you see," said Hotaru, while a tinge of concern was observed in her eyes and voice.

"Hotaru, these are the only rules by which I have to abide by. Before my grandfather passed away, he told me to always follow proper behavior and to remain happy by pushing all the sad memories away. Plus, I'm too used to it to change it. If I do, I won't feel the same anymore," I answered, trying to reassure her with a bright smile.

"Convincing you is futile anyways. But remember," she came and whispered in my ear, "I will always be by your side whenever you need me."

She leaned away and that's when I realized that we completely forgot the boys in the room. I looked up at her with questioning eyes, and she seemed to understand what I meant.

"They helped me in carrying you to my room after you fainted. You should seriously thank them because they are the last people you would expect to help you here." Hotaru stared at them with her arms crossed and a cold-hearted expression on her face.

"Thank you for your effort, and sorry for causing you all the trouble," I thanked humbly with a small bow as a token of gratitude.

"Seriously, could you quit apologizing?" the raven-haired boy mumbled, making it audible enough for the others to hear while he rolled his eyes.

"Excuse my friend for his behavior. By the way, I don't think I have ever seen you before in here. Are you new to the university?" asked the blond-haired lad.

"Yes," I answered, "My name is Sakura Mikan. I'm starting my sophomore year in here, and I am studying literature. Nice to meet you," while I bowed again to them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. My name is Nogi Ruka and this boy beside me is my best friend called Hyuuga Natsume," he replied in a sweet way while pointing at the raven-haired lad beside him.

"Why the hell did you tell her my name, Ruka? It's not like she cares anyway," he replied in an angry tone as he gave his best friend a deadly glare.

"I don't mind. Whether I know your names or not, I'm thankful for what you did to help me," I smiled at them ever-so brightly while they stared at me, appalled.

"Hey, are you seriously serious that you don't care about whom we are or our identities?" asked the bald-headed boy with a hint of shock in his voice.

"Well, its not like I care who people are. At least you were there and helped me when i fainted," I said in a somewhat bewildered way, realizing that Hotaru had widened her eyes by at least one millimeter.

"Seriously, that's so cool. Right, Natsume?" the bald boy said as he turned around to tease his friend and saw that his friend had shot him another of his deadly glares, "Anyways, the name's Mochiage, but just call me Mochu," he smiled sheepishly at me after receiving the many glares Natsume had given him.

"She's the first one I met who's like that, also," the auburn-haired boy said as he was facing his friends and then turned to look at me with a smirk plastered on his face, "My name is Yome Kokoro, but I prefer it more when people calling me Koko."

"I'm glad to know you all and I hope we become good friends," I replied with another smile, feeling comfortable with their presence.

"Why did you faint?" Natsume said, as everyone excluding me looked at him with shock purely evident on their faces.

I looked up at Hotaru with questioning eyes. I mentally asked her whether I should tell the guys the reason why I fainted. Knowing what I meant, she nodded with approval. I sighed for the third time today and prepared to start my explanation," I'm ill. I suffer from an illness called anemia," I said briefly, looking at their inquisitive faces, and continued, "Anemia is caused when there is a lack of the oxygen carrier in your blood called hemoglobin. The normal rate of hemoglobin a person should have is 14 whereas, my rate is 6. In general, it makes my body really weak. If I exert too much effort such as running or exercise or with a very sudden outburst of emotions, I might lose conscience or simply faint," I finished as I hurried to catch my breath after the long explanation.

Then, what I saw on their faces was something I had never expected to see. It was pity. Rarely have I ever received pity except from Hotaru when I was young, due to the fact that I was abused with no mercy.

Then, the boys wished me well, looked at the time, and said that they had to go. I thanked them for the umpteenth time today and hoped to see them again. They all went out but the boy named Natsume turned around, looked back at me, and then went out of the room with his friends. I felt the heat rise into my cheeks as our eyes were locked into a stare at that moment.

After all of them were out and the door was closed, Hotaru and I were left alone in the room. Now, I took a better view of Hotaru's room. It was a very spacious room with a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. The room was colored in a light purple color which gave a comfortable aura to the room. The door was situated diagonal to me but to the right side of me (note that I'm still in bed). A few feet away from the door was the bathroom, which looked luxuriously decorated. A television was in between the door and the bathroom with a huge screen. To my left, there was a big desk that held many books and an Acer laptop. Beside it was also a huge bookshelf, filled with numerous books. There was a soft, velvet carpet that lay in front of the bed. Finally, to my right, a simple, big and comfortable chair was positioned where Hotaru sat after a while.

Suddenly, Hotaru spoke up, stopping me from my inspection and startling me at the same time, "You better hurry up, you know. Its two thirty and your luggage will arrive in half an hour," I looked up at the clock above the television and noticed that what she had said was true. I hastily scurried from the bed I was on and got up to meet Hotaru's gaze. I only had half an hour left to find my room and meet my roommate.

And in my mind, I felt like this was going to be a very long day.

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So, I hope you liked it. Please read and review!Oh, and I'm sorry if it's too formal and the excitement of this story will develop as it goes on.

PS: I really don't mid if you flame or criticize because I am trying to improve my writing skills. I would really appreciate it if you would point out the mistakes I made.


	2. Meeting Aoi and Our Little Conversation

I AM SO SORRY! I finished the story a long time ago but my friend wanted to beta it. It took a whole week until she could give it back to me. And even when I got it back, I didn't feel like uploading the chapter for a few days. Gomenasai minna-san! I was just too lazy. I hope you like this chapter and don't worry, the third chapter is ready. It just needs some correction. By the way, I want to give credits to my dear friend . Sh really helped me with my grammer and she also beta-ed the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: I'm glad that Miss/Mrs. Higuchi Tachibana owns this manga and not I, for it won't be in safe hands.

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"We've been standing out here for like…" Hotaru said as she looked at her watch, "Five minutes," she put her hand down and looked at me.

"I know Hotaru; It's just that I'm nervous since I'm going to meet my roommate," I replied while fumbling with my hands.

We were standing right in front of my future dorm room. It took us no more than five minutes to find it since Hotaru knew the whole place like the back of her hand. However, I was too nervous to get in due to the fact that I'll meet the person with whom I will share a room for a whole year. Heck! I am even sweating.

"Okay Hotaru, I have decided to open the door now," I told Hotaru as I reached out to knock the door. But when I did so, there seemed to be no answer. No one came to open the door from the inside. I knocked again, but there seemed to be no one in the room yet.

"Guess no one's in the room yet," I said, "Maybe I should use the key's the receptionist gave me," as I reached to find the keys in my pocket and suddenly found them in Hotaru's hand.

"You're too slow," said Hotaru as she unlocked the door and revealed the room.

It was very spacious, clearly showing that the room was divided in to half. On both sides of the room, a double-sized bed was situated. Beside it, a huge desk for academic purposes was placed. There were also separate wardrobes at each side of the room for the two occupants. The bathroom was in the left side of the room whereas the television was on the right. There was a couch in front of the television which was at the same time in front of the bed. Lastly, there were two large windows with a spectacular view of the Sakura trees the university owned.

I stood in awe as Hotaru went in and surveyed the room. Then suddenly a voice came from behind me that made me startled.

"Could you please move?" a feminine voice asked me as I turned around, "As you can see, I'm trying to enter the room."

I inspected the person before me. It was a girl who had nearly the same height as me. She possessed a dark raven hair and red crimson eyes that burned like fire. Her hair was short,its tip her shoulders and she had short bangs that adorned her face beautifully. When I looked at her, I felt that she resembled someone I knew. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to remember the person at the moment. Thinking she was my roommate, I gave her way to the room and started to introduce myself.

"Oh, excuse me. I was just inspecting my room. My name is Sakura Mikan. Are you my roommate, Hyuuga Aoi?" I asked her, hoping her answer to my question would be yes.

"Cool, nice to meet you and yes, I'm Hyuuga Aoi," she said as she stared at me, "I'm glad I have a person like you as a roommate. You seem really nice."

"Thank you. I hope we would become good friends," I replied as we shook hands in agreement and turned my head to Hotaru, "This is my best friend, Imai Hotaru."

Aoi stared at me wide-eyed but then, she returned back to her original expression, smiling and beaming at me, "Of course. I know her. She's the infamous Ice Queen in the university and she's the girlfriend of my brother's best friend, Nogi Ruka."

Now, I was the one who stood wide-eyed in disbelief. Hotaru, my stoic, emotionless, cold-hearted best friend, has a boyfriend? Never in my life have I ever imagined it to happen, though I did believe it was going to happen at a certain point in life. Recovering from my shock, I looked at Hotaru for an explanation, finding a barely evident blush forming in her cheeks.

"Hotaru, I demand and explanation for this now; I was and am your best friend for…" I said while counting with my fingers, "Twelve years?! Why the hell did you not tell me about this from before?"

She looked at me, anger clearly shown in her eyes, "I didn't tell you before because I thought you would think that I abandoned you or that I won't become that close to you anymore," she said as she hid her eyes under her bangs.

After I heard what she said, I felt so glad to the point that tears started to form in my eyes, "Thanks, Hotaru. Thank you for always being concerned about me," I said as I hugged her with all my might and hid me eyes under my bangs, too, "I'm always a crybaby, always wanting your attention."

After that, we realized that we left Aoi alone, watching us like we were in some kind of theatre. We quickly separated, and I apologized to Aoi for leaving her alone.

"No, it's okay. I was enjoying the beautiful scene," she said, smiling brightly at me while I sweat dropped at her reply.

Then, a knock was heard from the door. I rushed to the door and opened it, finding a worker in front me with "House Moving Corporations" imprinted on his shirt. A few other men were standing in a corner, wearing the same shirts.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but is Sakura Mikan in here?" he asked, speaking with a heavy Kansai dialect.

"That's me," I answered.

"Well, I'm here to deliver your luggage and help you with the arrangement of your furniture," he said as he bowed and motioned his men to come closer, "Do you want the luggage now or later?"

"No, it's okay; I want it now. Please, come in," I told him with a reassuring voice.

He then came in with his men, and I explained to Aoi and Hotaru the reason to why they came in. They understood what I said, and we started to help the workers unpack the luggage. Apparently, they had Aoi's things as well, so we decided to unpack and arrange everything with the help of the workers.

* * *

"Phew, I'm glad we're all done," I said as I looked at Hotaru and Aoi and congratulated them for a job well done.

"Yeah, I never thought that we could finish the job in only two hours," Aoi said, flashing a smile at us.

We then plopped ourselves on our beds and couch and heaved a sigh of satisfaction for a few minutes. But, Hotaru decided to break the uncomfortable silence once again.

"Mikan, Aoi, would you guys like to come over to my room for a sleepover?" Hotaru asked with a mischievous glint clearly shown in her eyes.

I backed down while Aoi, once again, widened her eyes in shock, "Hotaru, are you serious? You never asked me to sleep over unless there was something critical going on. Besides, I can smell something fishy going on." I answered back, dubious of what she was going to do.

The glint in her eyes went away as soon as she heard my reply, and her expressionless face returned once again, "Trust me, Mikan. I will not harm you in any way whatsoever. It will be a simple and plain sleepover with, of course, fun," she smirked slightly.

"I don't know; I'm still suspicious. Of course you won't hurt me but I feel like you're planning something," I looked at her, skeptical.

She sighed, closing her eyes then glaring at me, "Now, Mikan, do you really doubt me that much? Honestly, what do you think I will do when we sleepover? It's just to celebrate your first night here," Hotaru told me, arching an eyebrow while looking at me.

"Fine," I sighed, "I'll come, but what about Aoi?" I asked as I turned around to look at Aoi.

"Finally, it took you a while to remember I was here," she giggled, "Sure, I'll come. It's not like I get invited to a sleepover every now and then."

"Good, I'll go and prepare my room for the sleepover," Hotaru said as she headed towards the door.

"Fine, I'll come and help," I suggested and got up from my bed.

"No, you stay here with Aoi till I come back," Hotaru said, looking at Aoi while Aoi nodded with approval, "Remember, it's meant to be a surprise."

"Okay, but when is the sleepover?" I asked.

"Right now, the time is five thirty…" she said as she contemplated while looking at her watch, "So, how about eight thirty?"

"Alright," Aoi and I said simultaneously.

After that had been said, Hotaru proceeded to the door and left the room, leaving Aoi and I alone in the room. After a few moments of silence, Aoi decided to break it by speaking up.

"Umm, Mikan, I'll go drop by my friends and have a chat with them. Would you like to come with me and meet them?" asked Aoi, looking down at her clutched hands.

"Oh, it's okay. I need to go out and get some fresh air. I'll probably go and see the Sakura trees outside. If you need me, just meet me there," I told her, reassuring her with a bright smile.

"Sure," she said, "I'll go then, bye, see you at Hotaru's," she got up from the couch and smiled at me.

"Yeah but, remember, Hotaru's room number is 458," I told her while she nodded, and in a matter of few second, I found myself alone in the room.

* * *

(Natsume's POV)

I was seated on one of the branches of my favorite Sakura tree, leaning on the trunk for support. I watched the Sakura leaves, never ceasing to marvel at their beauty and color. This had been my most favorite place since I came to the university and it still is. It was the perfect place to sleep in and hide from my maniacal fan girls. I sighed in agitation as I remembered the times when they chased me like dogs willing to get their prey.

I cleared the thought away, wanting to think of something more…pleasing. Then, I remembered the auburn-haired girl whom I met a few hours ago. I wondered why she wasn't startled amazed by my striking features. I think her name was Mikan. She was a different girl. I never met a girl like her before other than my twin sister, Aoi. Why, she didn't even bother to know my name. I wonder, was she faking her personality or was it real? Moreover, that creepy Ice Queen helped her. She actually helped her. And when Mikan was running towards her, the Ice Queen actually allowed her to hug her. This is really suspicious. Maybe I should investigate on this girl named Mikan. I'm freaking rich, so, sending a person to spy on her won't be hard, right?

Suddenly, my train of thought was interrupted when I heard footsteps approaching the tree. I got ready for action, just in case those footsteps belonged to one of those crazy fan girls of mine. Then, the footsteps stopped and then a loud thud was heard. I looked down and saw that the person who was walking was Mikan. I sighed with relief, inwardly thanking God that it wasn't those fan girls. Then, she started speaking to herself.

"Wow, it's such a beautiful place. I love the Sakura trees here. It's a really nice place to rest and think. Just what I needed," she murmured then closed her eyes.

I decided to speak too, since I wanted to tease her, "Oi, little girl, what are you doing here?" I said as I jumped down from the branch, facing her as I sat on the ground.

"Oh, it's you," she said, a bit startled, as she opened her chocolate eyes to look at me, "I was just looking around the place and decided to rest here."

I nodded, showing her that I had heard her answer.

Silence ensued between us for a few minutes until she decided to break the ice.

"Excuse me, but in what field do you study?" she asked with curious eyes.

"Why do you care?" I answered her question with a question.

She sighed then looked at me, concern and pity found in her eyes, "Are you lost or…" she hesitated, but then continued, "Do you feel lonely?"

I flinched at the question but managed to keep my cool expression and replied dumbly, "What do you mean by that?"

"You once again answer my question with a question," she snorted, "Do I need to explain what I mean?" she said, her face changing into a cold and serious one.

I looked at her and was surprised at how she easily knew I was lonely and lost. Everyone considered me a mean and cold-hearted person. They never bothered to ask themselves why I was like that. And this girl here, having known me for only four hours, has managed to immediately find out what was wrong with me. After a few seconds, I averted my gaze back to the girl in front of me.

"Well, I am, do you have a problem with it?" I replied with a seemingly angry tone.

"So we're very similar, I guess," she answered.

"How are we so similar? You're a happy fool living in her own world whereas I'm a very cold-hearted delinquent who could harm you," I said as I arched my eyebrow, staring at her.

"I used to be like you, lonely and isolated from the world, but now, I want to change. I was much worse and cold-hearted than you. I had a terrible past; I can assure you that. To be near me at that time meant that you would be in a very dangerous situation," she said with a sad smile on her face.

"If we are similar, then why are you talking to me and staying here with me? I'm dangerous. So why put yourself in danger with me?" I asked her, curious to know her answer.

She stood up and brushed the dirt from her skirt then looked at me and replied, "I was in the same state as you before," and then looked at me with beautiful smile, "And plus, I refuse to believe that you're a bad person. You seem to be very kind even though you don't want to show it. Well, anyways, I need to go now. The sun is setting already. Bye," she said and then run off. I stared at her back until I could see her no more.

I was sitting there, shocked and frozen in my spot. She managed to find out who I really am without any effort. She knew that I was in pain, and she decided to soothe me by saying what had happened to her. She easily broke down the wall that I so carefully built to prevent people from knowing my real character.

My heart was rapidly beating as I was thinking about her. _What is this feeling_? I asked myself. I quickly stood up when I saw my best friend, Ruka, heading towards me.

"Hey, Natsume," Ruka said, "Do you want to come with me to the cafeteria to meet Koko and Mochu?"

"Whatever," I said as I walked ahead of him to the cafeteria while he hastily ran to my side to catch up with my pace.

But one thing kept ringing in my mind: _Am I in love?_

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So, I hope you liked it, and please review! Like I said, it's ok to criticise me.

See you in the next chapter of "Our Interwined Fate"! *winks*


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